A San Antonio medical firm Aug. 15 announced a new CEO, and a San Antonio oral and maxillofacial surgical practice Aug. 15 welcomed a new surgeon.
Vascular Perfusion Solutions said Dr. Rafael Veraza has been named CEO of the company, which is based in the South Texas Medical Center.
According to a news release, Veraza has more than 15 years of research experience, having served most recently as chief technology and scientific officer for VPS.
Veraza succeeds former company CEO Mark Muller, who will remain on the VPS board of directors as an adviser, the release said.
VPS officials said Veraza helped to oversee the development of VP.S Encore, a self-contained transport device that uses oxygen to preserve vascularized tissue for up to eight hours, enabling organs to remain viable beyond the current standard of care.
“Dr. Veraza led and guided the science behind this extraordinary breakthrough device, and he has also worked to build an impressive network of collaborators and partners across the country and worldwide,” VPS chair and co-founder Tom DeBrooke said in a statement.
VPS officials said human trials will take place in 2023 for VP.S Encore, which was granted the Federal Drug Administration’s Breakthrough Device Designation.
Before joining VPS, Veraza worked at UT Health San Antonio as a translational science research analyst and a postdoctoral research fellow, the release said. Previously, he was a Fogarty international fellow at Emory University Rollins School of Public Health and worked with UNICEF in Angola and the World Health Organization in Botswana as a Rotary International ambassadorial scholar.
Veraza said in the release being named CEO of VPS was an honor, adding development of the VP.S Encore device could help to increase the length of viability of human organs undergoing transport for transplant surgeries.
“It is an honor to lead an amazing team of scientists and engineers as we bring our cardiac preservation device to market, and as we innovate simple and accessible medical devices to save lives and improve the quality of life for patients in need of organ transplants,” Veraza said.
Elsewhere, Alamo Maxillofacial Surgical Associates, which has Stone Oak, Medical Center and Boerne locations, announced the addition of Dr. Stone Thayer as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon.
An AMSA news release said Thayer provides a full scope of OMS services and is accepting new patients in San Antonio and Boerne.
According to the release, Thayer completed his undergraduate studies in finance and management at Washington University’s Olin Business School and then worked as a financial analyst in New York City.
After graduating with honors from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Thayer served with the U.S. Naval Forces as part of the Navy and Marine Corps amphibious platform, the release said.
The release also said Thayer received the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement and Commendation Medal, adding upon returning from active duty, Thayer earned a medical degree and completed general surgery training at The University of Texas. He also completed specialized surgical training from The University of Texas Southwestern/Parkland Hospital in Dallas and completed his residency and fellowship in craniofacial and reconstructive surgery at the Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia.
The release also said Thayer was a faculty member at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, where he was involved in resident and student education and served as a central part of the university’s cleft and craniofacial team. Additionally, Thayer received more training in reconstructive and cosmetic surgery under the tutelage of Dr. Jaime Flores, a prominent plastic and reconstructive surgeon.
“Dr. Thayer is highly trained in a wide variety of OMS treatments and procedures for the whole family. He has extensive experience with facial trauma, jaw and facial deformities, facial cosmetics, TMJ disorders, cleft lip/palate, as well as pathology, implantology, tooth extraction, and more,” Dr. Wendell Edgin of AMSA said.
